Riley team heals hearts around the world

By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org

Several Riley Children’s Health team members, led by cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mark Turrentine, recently returned from Amman, Jordan, where they gave new hope and life to kids with heart conditions.

This is the 42^nd medical mission trip to Jordan led by Dr. Turrentine, with support from Chain of Hope, GOLA (Gift of Life Aaman), Rotary Club of Greenfield, the Josh Lindblom Foundation and Al Khalidi Hospital and Medical Center.

Traveling with him this trip were: Katie Lail, pediatric CVICU nurse; Rachal Sperka, pediatric CVICU nurse; Dr. Vanessa Monroig, PICU fellow; Dr. Michael Johansen, pediatric cardiologist; Dr. Mouhammad Yabrodi, pediatric cardiac intensivist; and Dr. Lola Chabtini, adult cardiothoracic surgeon.

Together, they cared for multiple children from the Middle East, including Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and Palestine. Conditions treated included tetralogy of Fallot, atrial and ventricular septal defects, pulmonary valve stenosis and AV canal defect.

“It was a good trip; they all are,” Dr. Turrentine said last week, upon his return to Riley. “We did nine surgeries and six interventional (heart) caths and saw 20-25 kids in clinic.”

Seeing some of those families return this year after previously having been operated on is always meaningful, he said.

Sometimes they bring flowers, sometimes just hugs and quiet gratitude. All of it fills the renowned surgeon with his own sense of gratitude.

“It’s pretty meaningful to see something good happen for families that are fairly desperate to have something good happen to them,” he said during a previous interview.

“The people there honestly become like family. It’s always good to see them. Some of them have really had it rough, and it’s nice to be a part of something good in somebody’s life.”

It’s also eye-opening for medical residents and others who travel with him. They come back with a better understanding of the privilege they enjoy in the U.S., he said.

“It’s a nice extension of Riley and IU Health, giving something back to those less fortunate in other parts of the world,” Dr. Turrentine said. “You learn a lot from that.”

Dr. Monroig, a third-year PICU fellow at Riley, can attest to that after completing her first trip with the team.

“The overwhelming feeling I have, reflecting on my time there, is that it’s the essence of medicine,” she said. “Somewhere along the lines of medical training, it became a cliche to say you want to go into medicine to help people, but I think any reason beyond that misses the point.”

She borrows a phrase that captures what the experience meant to her: “Work is from the earth, but vocation is from heaven,” she said. “Thank you for re-instilling the vocation and recharging me for a profession I dearly love.”

Additionally, she said, she was humbled by the trust the parents placed in the team.

“They didn’t know us, understand our language (nor did we theirs), or know our credentials/ training. With so many barriers, it was truly an honor to have the full confidence from each patient’s parents that we would help their child,” Dr. Monroig said.

“Gratitude, vulnerability, duty and love are words that come to mind when thinking of my time there.”

Dr. Turrentine, who has spent his entire career on the cardiology team at Riley, consistently uses his time off to care for kids on the other side of the world who often don’t have access to lifesaving treatment.

It’s the best way he can imagine spending his time off.

“It’s time away doing something that is meaningful. And you see interesting people and interesting places. So what if you work hard while you’re there.”

Dr. Monroig said she and her colleagues on this latest medical mission trip are honored to have had the opportunity to help kids heal and thrive.

“With surgical advancements, these children can go on to live full lives,” she said. “Still, there are barriers to getting surgery in all parts of the world. Dr. Mark’s work is truly incredible, and with the conclusion of his 42nd mission, he is already planning for the next.”

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